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'Check to Protect' | Safety campaign events held to warn North Texas drivers about airbag recalls

City leaders have partnered with "Check to Protect" to get dangerous recalled airbags fixed as soon as possible.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Hundreds of thousands of drivers in Dallas-Fort Worth may be at risk while behind the wheel. There is a major campaign underway to get their attention about their airbags. 

Sam Blocklyn is an assistant principal in the Fort Worth Independent School District. He drives an older model Tahoe and just learned the passenger airbag is on recall during one of the district's Friday night high school football games. 

Blocklyn's vehicle runs pretty well, and he eventually hopes to pass it along to his son. He knew that his airbags were on recall after receiving notice in the mail. Learning about the safety campaign is a serious reality check for Blocklyn. 

"It's going to be a hand me down to my son in the very near future, so obviously before I give it to him, I have to get it fixed," Blocklyn said. "It really is dangerous. It can hurt or kill you." 

The Takata airbag recall impacts 16 different automakers including Toyota, Chrysler, Dodge, and some Chevy models. The recall centers around millions of airbags installed in the past 10 years. It impacts about 300,000 drivers in the Arlington, Dallas and Fort Worth. 

Lonny Haschel is traveling across the metro with a team of safety check workers for the "Check to Protect Campaign." 

"The metal pieces in there can break and come flying at the driver or the occupants and injure them," Haschel. 

As part of the outreach, Check to Protect workers held their first weekend event during the O.D. Wyatt vs. Polytechnic High School football game at Scarborough-Handley Field.  

The safety campaign encourages drivers to use their license plates to check if their airbags are on recall. 

Check to Protect organizers reached out to Fort Worth city leaders for Friday night's event and hope to reach even more drivers throughout the weekend.

The event took place in Fort Worth Council District 8, where councilman Chris Nettles hopes drivers will check their vehicles for a possible airbag recall. 

"Our community has the highest level of unsafe airbags," said Nettles. 

He urges everyone who drives to visit www.ChecktoProtect.org sooner than later to learn if their vehicle has faulty airbags installed and needs repair or replacement at no cost.  

Future Check to Protect events: 

  • Saturday, Oct. 15 at Texas Wesleyan University football game, located at Farrington Field. It starts at 1 p.m. 
  • Sunday, Oct. 16 at Beth Eden Baptist Church located at 3208 Wilbarger Street in Fort Worth at noon. It's open to the public and BBQ will be served. 

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